Eschatology Or The Catholic Doctrine Of The Last Things

1. Definition.—Eschatology is the crown and capstone of dogmatic theology. It may be defined as “the doctrine of the last things,” and tells how the creatures called into being and raised to the supernatural state by God, find their last end in Him, of whom, and by whom, and in whom, as Holy Scripture says, “are all things.” Eschatology is anthropological and cosmological rather than theological; for, though it deals with God as the Consummator and Universal Judge, strictly speaking its subject is the created universe, i. e. man and the cosmos. Aeterna Press

INTRODUCTION 1. DEFINITION.-Eschatology is the crown and capstone of dogmatic theology. It may be defined as "the doctrine of the last things," and tells how the creatures called into being and raised to the supernatural state by God, find their last end in Him, of whom, and by whom, and in whom, as Holy Scripture says, "are all things." Eschatology is anthropological and cosmological rather than theological; for, though it deals with God as the Consummator and Universal Judge, strictly speaking its subject is the created universe, i. e. man and the cosmos. The consummation of the world is not left to "fate" (fatum, ). God is a just judge, who distinguishes strictly between virtue and vice and metes out reward or punishment to every man according to his deserts. The rational creatures were made without their choice;but they cannot reach final end without their cooperation. Their destiny depends upon the attitude they take towards the divine plan of salvation. The good are eternally rewarded in Heaven, the wicked are punished forever in Hell. In the latter God will manifest His justice, while in the former He will show His love and mercy. By dealing justly with both good and bad, He at the same time triumphantly demonstrates His omnipotence, wisdom, and holiness. Thus Eschatology leads us back to the theological principle that the created universe in all its stages serves to glorify God. The consummation of the world may be regarded either as in process (in fieri) or as an accomplished fact (in facto esse). Regarding it from the former point of view we speak of the "last things" (novissima, ), i. e. the events to happen at the second coming of our Lord. "The four last things of man" are Death, Judgment, Heaven (Purgatory), and Hell. The four last things of the human race as a whole are: the Last Day, the Resurrection of the Flesh, and the Final Judgment, followed by the End of the World. These four events constitute so many stages on the way to the predestined state of consummation (consummatio saeculi, ), which will be permanent and irrevocable.

Eschatology is the study of the end of life, the end of time, and the Final Coming of Christ. In Eschatology, Christian Theology focuses primarily on the "Four Last Things" that comprise its study. They are Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. In addition to these areas, Mr. Plese explores as part of the five-part series on these topics, Purgatory, the place of temporary purification after death for souls that die in the state of grace (i.e. are destined for Heaven) but are not yet perfect and able to enter Heaven.

The end times have captivated the imaginations of Christians throughout the centuries. Significant portions of Scripture are devoted to Christ's return, and countless theological works have been written on death, heaven and hell, the apocalypse, and other eschatological topics. This volume adds an important voice to the volumes of literature already written on the subject. Pohle writes lengthy chapters on death, heaven, hell, purgatory, along with the resurrection and the last judgment.

1. Definition.--Eschatology is the crown and capstone of dogmatic theology. It may be defined as "the doctrine of the last things," and tells how the creatures called into being and raised to the supernatural state by God, find their last end in Him, of whom, and by whom, and in whom, as Holy Scripture says, "are all things." Eschatology is anthropological and cosmological rather than theological; for, though it deals with God as the Consummator and Universal Judge, strictly speaking its subject is the created universe, i. e. man and the cosmos. The consummation of the world is not left to "fate" (fatum, εἱμαρμένη). God is a just judge, who distinguishes strictly between virtue and vice and metes out reward ot punishment to every man according to his deserts.The rational creatures were made without their choice;but they cannot reach final end without their cooperation.Their destiny depends upon the attidue they take towards the divine plan of salvation.The good are eternally rewarded in Heaven, the wicked are punished forever in Hell. In the latter God will manifest His justice, while in the former He will show His love and mercy. By dealing justly with both good and bad, He at the same time triumphantly demonstrates His omnipotence, wisdom, and holiness. Thus Eschatology leads us back to the theological principle that the created universe in all its stages serves to glorify God. The consummation of the world may be regarded either as in process (in fieri) or as an accomplished fact (in facto esse). Regarding it from the former point of view we speak of the "last things" (novissima, τὰ ἔσχατα), i. e. the events to happen at the second coming of our Lord. "The four last things of man" are Death, Judgment, Heaven (Purgatory), and Hell. The four last things of the human race as a whole are: the Last Day, the Resurrection of the Flesh, and the Final Judgment, followed by the End of the World. These four events constitute so many stages on the way to the predestined state of consummation (consummatio saeculi, συντέλεια αἰῶνος), which will be permanent and irrevocable. 2. Division.--In the light of these considerations it is easy to find a suitable division for the present treatise. The object of the final consummation is the created universe, which consists of pure spirits, human beings, and irrational creatures. The lot of the spirits (angels and demons) was determined forever at the very beginning of things. Man and the physical universe still await their consummation. Man, individually as well as collectively, occupies the centre of creation. Hence we may divide Eschatology into two parts: (1) The Eschatology of Man as an Individual, (2) The Eschatology of the Human Race.